Building siding and attaching means therefor



June 27, 1967 c w TR Y BUILDING SIDING AND ATTACHING MEANS THEREFOR Filed May 21, 1964 INVENTOR CHARLES W. TRACY BY 4 M jw ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,327,446 BUILDING SIDIN G AND ATTACHING MEANS THEREFOR Charles W. Tracy, Tallahassee, Fla, assignor to Misceramic Tile, Cleveland, Miss. Filed May 21, 1964, Ser. No. 369,119 1 Claim. (Cl. 52-547) This invention relates to buildings of various kinds including habitable structures in which an exterior siding or covering is attached to the framework of the building to complete the structure and protect the building from the elements, as well as to improve the appearance.

The invention relates particularly to siding and roofing panels of a building and to apparatus and equipment for applying such panels to the sides and the roof portion of the building in a uniform manner to enhance the appearance thereof in a minimum of time and without requiring skilled labor.

Heretofore many types of siding and roofing materials have been applied to the framework of a building in various ways including by nailing in several places, by screws or other fasteners, and in some cases by the use of clips or the like. These structures have not been satisfactory due to the fact that they lacked uniformity of appearance, and that skilled labor and excessive time was required to install the siding material.

It is an object of the invention to provide a building panel which can be quickly and easily attached to the sides and roof of a building, in a minimum of time, by unskilled labor, and in such a manner that the finished structure will have a uniform attractive appearance.

Another object of the invention is to provide a building panel of masonry or the like construction which can be attached to the framework of a building by a single or multiple fastening elements.

A further object of the invention is to produce a building panel of masonry or the like with an attaching or mounting clip embedded therein and having portions projecting outwardly so that one panel or course of panels will rest on and be guided by another panel or course of panels and each of such panels can be attached to the building by a single fastening element.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an attaching clip which can be secured to a building panel by embedding the same therein or by bonding the same thereto by means of an adhesive or the like, and such clip utilized to locate the panel in the proper position and to fasten the panel to the side or roof structure of a building.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a portion of a building illustrating one use of the invention;

FIG. 2, an enlarged rear perspective illustrating the relation of assembled panels;

FIG. 3, an enlarged fragmentary vertical section of a portion of a building incorporating the invention;

FIG. 4, an enlarged rear perspective of one of the panels;

FIG. 5, an enlarged vertical section on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6, an enlarged perspective of one of the mounting clips; and

FIG. 7, an enlarged vertical section of a modified form of panel and clip.

Briefly stated the present invention is a building panel which may be constructed of masonry or the like having an inverted generally V shaped bracket or clip embedded therein or bonded thereto by an adhesive. The V-shaped 3,327,446 Patented June 27, 1967 clip is provided with offset portions at its spaced end which project outwardly beyond the surface of the panel a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the panel and then extend downwardly to form a flange so that a second panel can be received therein. The end portion of the clip where the sides converge is provided with an ofiset portion which extends rearwardly slightly beyond the surface of the panel and terminates in an upwardly extending flange with a nail-receiving opening therein.

With continued reference to the drawing, a building 10 of usual construction includes a frame and an insulation sheathing, and an exterior covering which protects the building from the elements and improves the appearance of the building. Such exterior covering may include a plurality of panels 11 attached to the sides of the building and, if desired, the same type of panels may be applied to the roof, or roof panels 12 of slightly different construction may be applied thereto.

The panels 11 normally are constructed of concrete, masonry, tile, laminated wood, pressed board, or the like. These panels normally are from 24 to 36 inches long and 12 to 15 inches wide, which has been found convenient for the handling by workmen.

In order to mount the panels 11 on the sides of the building in accordance with the present invention, each of the panels is provided with an inverted generally V- shaped bracket or clip, which forms a hanger 15, having an offset portion 16 on the free end 'of each of the arms and such offset portion terminates in a downwardly extending flange 17. At the apex of the clip an offset portion 18 is provided which terminates in an upwardly extending flange 19 having an aperture 20 adapted to receive a fastener 21. As illustrated in FIGS. 25, the clip 15 is embedded within the panel 11 in such a manner that the offset portions 16 extend outwardly a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the panel and the offset portion 18 extends outwardly slightly beyond the panel to provide a small space for the reception of flanges 17 of subsequent panels. The clip 15 is positioned within the panel so that the offset portion 18 is located along the top of the panel and the offset portion 16 is in spaced relation to the bottom thereof.

In order to attach the panels to the building, a leveling strip 22 is attached to the building adjacent to the base, and care should be taken to make certain that the leveling strip 22 is level. After the leveling strip has been applied, a first course of panels 11 is mounted on the building, with the offset portions 16 resting on the leveling strip and the flanges 17 extending therebehind and with the side edges of such panels being in abutting relation. The panels are attached to the building by nails or other fasteners 21 located within the apertures 20 in such a manner that each of the panels of the lower course is supported at two places by the offset portions 18 in engagement with the leveling strip 22 and the upper portion of the panel is secured to the building by the fastener 21.

The next course of panels is then applied to the first course in staggered relation so that the offset portions 18 of the second course engage two abutting panels of the first course, with the flanges 17 disposed behind the panels of the first course in such a manner that the panels of the first course are received between the flanges 17 and the lower rear portion of the panels of the second course. The panels of the second course are then attached to the building by fasteners 21 in the same manner as the first course. Subsequent courses'are then applied in the same manner.

The roof panels 12 may be constructed of substantially the same material, or such panels may have an additional waterproofing agent to prevent the penetration of water or the like. The panels 12 each has a bracket or clip 15 9 a thereon so that such panels can be applied in the same manner as the panels 11 previously described.

With reference to FIG. 7, a modified form of the invention is disclosed and includes a panel 25 having a bracket or clip 15' with offset portions 16' and 1S and such clip is attached to the panel 25 by an adhesive 26. The clip 15 is substantially the same as the clip 15 except that the offset portions 16' and 18' are shorter than the ofiFset portions 16 and 18.

It will be apparent that a building panel is provided which can be quickly and easily applied in a minimum of time by unskilled workers and which will result in a pleasing uniform appearance. Also it will be apparent that each panel is supported in two places and attached to the building by a single fastening element.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claim.

What is claimed is:

Apparatus for application to the exterior of a building comprising a building panel, an attaching clip embedded in said panel, said clip having first and second spaced oifset portions located adjacent to the bottom of said clip and disposed generally perpendicular to said panel and in spaced relation to the bottom thereof, said first and second offset portions providing support shoulders terminating in downwardly extending flanges, said flanges being spaced from said panel a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the upper portion of said panel, a third offset portion located adjacent to the top of said clip, said third ottset portion terminating in an upwardly extending flange, said upwardly extending flange being spaced from said panel a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the material of the clip, whereby said panel is supported by said first and second offset portions and is attached to the wall of a building by at least one fastener through said upwardly extending flange.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 387,360 8/ 1888 Keedy 52547 1,473,533 11/1923 Zelko 52513 2,308,129 1/ 1943 Tummins 525 13 FOREIGN PATENTS 98,758 12/ 1924 Austria. 1,242,978 10/ 1960 France.

50,334 3/1921 Sweden.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner.

M. O. WARNECKE, Assistant Examiner. 

